A Blog From The Editors Of Business Solutions Magazine

We’ve done plenty of surveys, formal and informal, to know that VARs don’t historically put much emphasis on PCI with customers. It seems like many choose to take the path of “the software I sell is PCI compliant — I think — so me and my customers are good.” That might be true for some, but it’s not true for all. While I can’t stress to you the importance of PCI compliance, I also can’t seem...
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VARs looking to make the transition to managed services need to overcome some hurdles. We’ve been writing about them for a while now. Cash flow, training, a different sales methodology, selecting the right automation tools, etc. Another hurdle is running an efficient business. With that in mind, here’s a tough pill for many to swallow: Many VARs who have historically been project-/break-fix-based probably have a headcount issue.
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I recently had a conversation with a retail and restaurant IT reseller. This VAR used to be a salesperson for one of the largest VARs in the United States. He would often have million dollar years as far as sales were concerned. His pay was good, but he wanted more. He left to start his own business.
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A large part of being successful with your managed services practice has to do how efficiently your business is run. Leading MSPs will be utilizing their labor and resources as effectively as possible to control expenses and increase profitability.
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I’ve learned quite a bit from reading business books, but here’s something I realized when my nose wasn’t stuck between pages: Less-known authors with vertical market knowledge can provide VARs just as much value (if not more) than general business best sellers. Recently-published Retail Survival Of The Fittest: 7 Ways To Future-Proof Your Retail Store, is one of those books.
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Tuesday morning, Datto founder and CEO, Austin McChord, took the stage in New Orleans to kick off the company’s annual partner conference. It didn’t take long before McChord’s presentation moved from a welcome message into all the big announcements that company had to make. MSPs who weren’t in attendance might be scratching their heads over how some of this news applies to them. Here’s why you should care (or...
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One of the things I enjoy most about our regional Channel Transitions conferences are the conversations with leading MSPs about what they’re doing to be successful and what challenges they’ve overcome. I learn something new with each interaction. At our recent event in Newark, one of our panelists described his organizational chart in a way that was eye-opening for me.
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I was honored to kick off the ASCII Success Summit today at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare in Chicago with my hiring best practices presentation titled “Hire Like You Just Beat Cancer.” It’s always great to connect with solution provider executives and try to solve important small business problems.
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While at Autotask’s recently held Community Live! conference in Miami, I sat in on a very interesting session run by Bruce Teichman, VP and partner of Cogent Growth Partners. The breakout concentrated on the topic of selling one’s business — the steps to take, how much money to expect, and when to start the process. Here’s a quick run-through of Teichman’s tips for how to run your business that will make it...
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Some VARs and MSPs opt to take a hands off approach when it comes to bring your own device (BYOD) and mobile device management (MDM) opportunities. But, savvy resellers recognize three facts: First, your customers are going to use their personal mobile devices at work whether end users have corporate policies and solutions in place or not. And second, by not doing anything, your customers are at a greater risk of a data breach. And, finally,...
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